Written Answers Monday 7 June 2010

Scottish Executive

Agriculture

John Scott (Ayr) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what action is being taken to address skill shortages in the agricultural industry, particularly in the north-east.

Keith Brown: Encouraged by the Scottish Government, the employer bodies are working with Sector Skills Council, Lantra, to construct for the industry a level 2 Modern Apprenticeship (MA) framework which could be in place by September 2010. This is being developed as a vehicle to help address the difficulties experienced in finding skilled agricultural employees. To this end the Scottish Agricultural Wages Board introduced an apprenticeship rate of pay into its Wages Order on 1 October 2009. This provision enabled employers to pay £3.50 per hour to workers for the first twelve months of a Level 2 Modern Apprenticeship in Agriculture.

  In terms of addressing wider skills shortages Lantra has also supported a range of measures and activities to promote land based, agriculture and aquaculture career options.

Benefits

Johann Lamont (Glasgow Pollok) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what proposals there are to hold discussions with the UK Government regarding improving uptake of benefits.

Nicola Sturgeon: I have written to the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions requesting an early meeting to discuss the benefits system and other matters of mutual interest.

Blood Donors

Dr Richard Simpson (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is taking steps to review the lifetime ban on blood donations by men who have had sex with men in light of the recommendations in the report by Weinberg and Gilmore in the Canadian Medical Association Journal and the reduction in such restrictions in Argentina, Australia and Japan.

Shona Robison: The Advisory Committee on the Safety of Blood, Tissues and Organs for Transplantation (SaBTO) advises the UK Health Departments on issues relating to the safety of blood, cells, tissues and organs for transfusion/transplantation. In July 2009, as part of its undertaking to continually consider exclusion and deferral criteria for blood donation, SaBTO commissioned a review of current policies. This will look at scientific advances as well as up-to-date evidence and data to ensure that donor selection criteria, including deferral criteria, are in place for justifiable reasons. UK Health Departments welcome this review. However, the ultimate aim, must be to maintain the highest levels of blood safety for patients at all times.

  SaBTO is due to complete this review later in 2010, at which time the, Scottish Government, along with the other UK Health Departments, will consider its report and the need for any changes to current practice.

  More information on the review and SaBTO’s work can be found on its website at:

  http://www.dh.gov.uk/ab/SaBTO/index.htm.

Cancer

Nanette Milne (North East Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will update the statement made on 25 March 2009 by the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Wellbeing on improving access to new medicines in the NHS ( Official Report c. 16128), making particular mention of access to treatment for rare cancers.

Nicola Sturgeon: The Scottish Government has made progress on all the policy areas included in the statement given by the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Wellbeing on 25 March 2009. These comprise CEL guidance for NHS boards on the introduction and availability of newly licensed medicines in the NHS in Scotland published on 17 May 2010; an information leaflet for the public and patients on new medicines in Scotland published on 17 May 2010; modifiers developed and published by the Scottish Medicines Consortium to be used when appraising medicines in particular categories; the establishment of a National Patient Access Schemes Assessment Group (PASAG) to assess patient access schemes for Scotland, and revised guidance on arrangements for NHS patients receiving healthcare through private healthcare arrangements published on 25 March 2009.

  In relation to access to treatment for rarer cancers, the SMC has a standard process for assessing all newly licensed medicines. The process for assessing orphan medicines, as defined by the European Medicines Agency as a medicine licensed to treat or prevent life-threatening rare diseases affecting fewer than five in 10,000 people in the European Union, is the same as for all other medicines. However, in addition to the usual assessment of clinical and cost-effectiveness, SMC may consider additional factors such as whether the medicine substantially increases life expectancy and/or quality of life; can reverse, rather than stabilise the condition, or bridges a gap to definitive therapy. The SMC can also apply the modifiers to consider additional factors.

Climate Change

George Foulkes (Lothians) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how it plans to increase community involvement in grassroots action on climate change.

Richard Lochhead: The Climate Change (Scotland) Act 2009 introduces ambitious, world-leading legislation to reduce emissions by at least 42 per cent by 2020 and at least 80 per cent by 2050. To achieve these targets the Scottish Government has a wide ranging delivery plan to facilitate the economic and social transformation required and this includes many measures to support individual and community action.

  The £27.4 million Climate Challenge Fund (2008-11) continues to support communities across Scotland to take action to reduce carbon emissions. The Scottish Government has in the last financial year provided over £6.5 million grant assistance to support around 300 community projects through the Community And Renewable Energy Scheme (CARES) and a similar level of funding is available in the current financial year. The five Energy Saving Scotland advice centres, which are funded by the Scottish Government and managed by the Energy Saving Trust, provide support to over 100 community groups, including groups funded through the CCF, each year helping them both to plan and implement local carbon saving activities at a grass roots level.

  The Scottish Government is developing a climate change behaviour research programme to better understand the factors influencing public responses to climate change. The current GoGreener campaign seeks to encourage and support more environmentally responsible behaviour in the general public across Scotland and Scottish Government is also developing a wider climate change public engagement strategy.

Climate Change

George Foulkes (Lothians) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive when it expects to report on its review of the Climate Challenge Fund.

Richard Lochhead: The review of the Climate Challenge Fund is scheduled to complete in June 2011 and the review report is expected to be published at that time.

Contraception

Nanette Milne (North East Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it can provide figures for the primary method of contraception used by women in each NHS board, broken down by (a) age and (b) primary method.

Shona Robison: The information on figures for the primary method of contraception used by women in each NHS board, broken down by (a) age and (b) primary method is not centrally available. Data from the 2008 Scottish Health Survey (Table W26) shows some of the methods of contraception used by women in Scotland, by age group:

  http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Statistics/Browse/Health/scottish-health-survey/Supplementary2008

  http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Statistics/Browse/Health/scottish-health-survey/Web2008Excel.

Contraception

Nanette Milne (North East Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it can provide figures for the percentage of (a) implantable contraceptives (implant), (b) intrauterine devices (IUD) and (c) intrauterine systems (IUS) removed within (i) three months, (ii) six months, (iii) nine months and (iv) 12 months.

Shona Robison: The exact number of consultations in Scotland for the removal of contraceptives within a specified time period is not available centrally. However, national estimates can be given of the number of consultations by either a GP or practice-employed nurse for the removal of contraceptives based on information obtained from a sample of Scottish general practices participating in PTI (Practice Team Information). The patients registered to PTI practices are representative of Scotland as a whole in terms of their age, gender and deprivation profile. The last year for which PTI data are currently available is the year ending 31 March 2009. It is not possible to determine from this data the period of time after which the contraceptive was removed.

  The estimated number of consultations for the removal of a contraceptive by a GP or practice-employed nurse in Scotland in the year ending 31 March 2009, by contraceptive type, based on PTI data, is shown in table 1. Estimates are standardised by age and deprivation. However, these data exclude other settings where devices are removed, such as family planning clinics.

  Table 1: Consultations in Scotland with a GP or Practice Nurse for the removal of: (a) Implantable contraceptives (implant); (b) Intrauterine devices (IUD); (c) Intrauterine systems. Estimated numbers with corresponding rates per 1,000 female patient population financial year 2008-09:

  

Contraceptive 
Number of Consultations
Number
Consultations per 1,000 Female Patient Population Rate


Implantable contraceptives (implant)
3,867
1.4


Intrauterine devices (IUD) 
5,530
2


Intrauterine systems
1,652
0.6



  Source: Information Services Division Scotland.

Contraception

Nanette Milne (North East Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has made an assessment of the number of health professionals accredited to fit all types of long-acting reversible contraception per head of population.

Shona Robison: No such assessment has been made.

Contraception

Nanette Milne (North East Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it can provide figures for spending on contraceptive services in each year since 2005, broken down by NHS board.

Shona Robison: The information requested is not available centrally.

Contraception

Nanette Milne (North East Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive by what method the Longer-lasting Contraception Social Marketing Campaign is being evaluated.

Shona Robison: The Longer Lasting Contraception (LLC) social marketing campaign is primarily evaluated through the Health Improvement Tracking Study (HITS). HITS monitors, on a continuous basis, awareness of health improvement campaigns and their impact on attitudes and behaviour, amongst a robust sample of the target audience.

  The social marketing campaign for LLC reached 67% of our target audience, who recalled the campaign when asked. Awareness of all forms of LLC also rose. Pre and post campaign research was also carried out with the target audience of women aged 18-44, which showed a significant increase in women correctly describing what LLC means and more than 42% motivated to find out more about longer lasting contraception.

Curriculum for Excellence

Margaret Smith (Edinburgh West) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what correspondence and discussions there have been between it and the Educational Institute of Scotland (EIS) regarding school reform since 1 January 2010 and when details of these exchanges will be made available.

Margaret Smith (Edinburgh West) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what correspondence and discussions there have been between it and the Scottish Secondary Teachers’ Association since 1 January 2010 regarding school reform and when details of these exchanges will be made available.

Margaret Smith (Edinburgh West) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what correspondence and discussions there have been between it and School Leaders Scotland since 1 January 2010 regarding school reform and when details of these exchanges will be made available.

Margaret Smith (Edinburgh West) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what correspondence and discussions there have been between it and the Scottish Parent Teacher Council since 1 January 2010 regarding school reform and when details of these exchanges will be made available.

Margaret Smith (Edinburgh West) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what correspondence and discussions there have been between it and the Association of Head Teachers and Deputes in Scotland since 1 January 2010 regarding school reform and when details of these exchanges will be made available.

Margaret Smith (Edinburgh West) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what correspondence and discussions there have been between it and local authorities since 1 January 2010 regarding school reform and when details of these exchanges will be made available.

Michael Russell: No such specific discussions have taken place.

Curriculum for Excellence

Margaret Smith (Edinburgh West) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what correspondence and discussions there have been between it and the Association of Directors of Education since 1 January 2010 regarding school reform and when details of these exchanges will be made available.

Michael Russell: No such specific discussions have taken place, though the Cabinet Secretary for Education and Lifelong Learning had a very wide ranging discussion with ADES (the Association of Directors of Education in Scotland) at an event in Dunkeld, held on 28 April 2010. We do not routinely make available the details of private discussions with stakeholders.

Curriculum for Excellence

Margaret Smith (Edinburgh West) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has agreed any points for action with the Scottish Secondary Teachers’ Association following their decision to ballot on industrial action should "missing elements" of the Curriculum for Excellence not be met by June 2010.

Michael Russell: The Scottish Government met with the Scottish Secondary Teachers’ Association on 21 May 2010 to discuss the implementation of Curriculum for Excellence and progress on the ten point plan and agreed to continue dialogue.

Gypsies/Travellers

Marlyn Glen (North East Scotland) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what the rates of maternal (a) deaths and (b) maternal health problems were among (i) the Gypsy/Traveller population in Scotland and (ii) the population as a whole in each of the last five years.

Alex Neil: Part (a/b) (i). The rates of maternal deaths and maternal health problems in the Gypsy/Traveller population in Scotland are not held centrally, either by the General Register Office Scotland, or by Information Services Division Scotland.

  Part (a) (ii). The General Register Office Scotland (GROS) publishes data on vital events in Scotland, but does not publish figures which are described as maternal deaths, as such on a regular basis. However, a section on maternal deaths was published in 2005, in table 2.1 of Scotland’s Population 2005:

  http://www.gro-scotland.gov.uk/statistics/publications-and-data/annual-report-publications/rgs-annual-review-2005/annual-report-2005-tables.html.

  For the purpose of the 2005 report, maternal deaths were defined as deaths for which the underlying cause was coded to International Classification of Disease 10 (ICD10) Chapter XV codes O00-O99; Pregnancy, childbirth and the puerperium. Each year, GROS publish the numbers of O00-O99 deaths in the Vital Events Reference Table 6.1:

  http://www.gro-scotland.gov.uk/statistics/publications-and-data/vital-events/vital-events-reference-tables-2008/section-6-deaths-causes.html.

  This table shows that there were five deaths in 2008 and single-figure numbers in each of the previous 10 years.

  Part (b) (ii). Information on severe maternal health problems are published annually by NHS Quality Improvement Scotland in The Scottish Confidential Audit of Severe Maternal Morbidity Reports.

  http://www.nhshealthquality.org/nhsqis/controller?p_service=Content.show&p_applic=CCC&pMenuId=0&pElementID=0&pContentID=6088.

Gypsies/Travellers

Marlyn Glen (North East Scotland) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what the (a) pre-, (b) peri- and (c) post-natal infant death rates were among (i) the Gypsy/Traveller population in Scotland, and (ii) the population as a whole in each of the last five years.

Alex Neil: The General Register Office Scotland (GROS) publish stillbirth rates and infant death rates in table 1 of appendix 1 of Scotland’s Population. GROS also publish both those rates and the perinatal death rate in the Stillbirths and Infant Deaths section of the Vital Events Reference Tables:

  http://www.gro-scotland.gov.uk/statistics/publications-and-data/vital-events/vital-events-reference-tables-2008/section-4-stillbirths.html.

  This information is not available or held centrally for the Gypsy/Traveller population.

Health

Dr Richard Simpson (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it is taking in response to paragraph 41 of the Health and Sport Committee’s 3rd Report 2010 (Session 3), Clinical portal and telehealth development in NHS Scotland , to (a) deliver the technology by means of which patients can audit and track the access to their medical information rather than only request information on how their health record is used and (b) ensure that patients are at the centre of the decision-making process on the use of their information.

Nicola Sturgeon: The Scottish Government’s first priority is to support Health Professionals to make effective use of information within a variety of specialist computer systems across NHSScotland.

  It remains our long-term aim to consider how best we might support the delivery of technology which would enable patients to have greater access to and control of their own information. The pace and scale of patient related eHealth investment will be considered in the context of the successor to the eHealth strategy 2008-2011.

Health

Dr Richard Simpson (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, in light of paragraphs 53 and 54 of the Health and Sport Committee’s 3rd Report 2010 (Session 3), Clinical portal and telehealth development in NHS Scotland , how many open source systems are now in place; what open systems are likely to be purchased in 2010-11, and what guidance on open source systems procurement has been given to NHS boards.

Nicola Sturgeon: The number and type of software applications in boards whether on commercial or open source licences is not collected centrally.

  Work is underway on the future options for desktop computers that will include testing of open source and will provide guidance and sourcing options for boards. This is part of wider review activity aimed at developing sustainable approaches to IT enabled improvements in patient care.

Housing

John Wilson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how much funding it has provided to assist in the consultation process relating to proposed housing stock transfer ballots in each year since 2006.

Alex Neil: The information requested is not available in the precise form requested. In 2006, the then Scottish Executive set limits on the maximum amount of financial assistance payable in relation to the stock transfer set-up costs of councils and the potential receiving landlords. These funding limits were published in a document entitled Community Ownership Programme Guidance and varied according the scale of the stock transfer as follows:

  

Units transferring
Total (seller plus purchaser) 
Unit Cost
Seller Cost Per 
Unit (Council)
Purchaser (receiving RSL) Cost 
  Per 
Unit Recoverable


3,000 units +
£665
£397
£268


4,000 units +
£548
£322
£226


5,000 units +
£478
£277
£201


6,000 units +
£431
£247
£184


7,000 units +
£397
£225
£172


8,000 units +
£372
£209
£163



  No specific funding limits were set for individual elements of the consultation process relating to individual stock transfer ballots and, as a result, councils and registered social landlords (RSLs) were not asked to keep a detailed financial breakdown of the individual cost elements of the stock transfer process.

Justice

Gavin Brown (Lothians) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how many direct measures were issued for (a) assault and (b) assault to injury in April 2010, broken down by sheriff court.

Frank Mulholland QC: The following table shows the number of charges of (a) assault and (b) assault to injury where the initial decision taken by the Procurator Fiscal was to deal with the offending behaviour by means of a direct measure in April 2010.

  The number of persons issued with a direct measure for assault to injury in April was 35. The total number of direct measures issued in the month of April 2010 was 7,571, and therefore the percentage of direct measures issued for assault to injury is less than 0.5% of the total issued that month.

  

Office
Direct Measures Issued
Charges Reported


Assault
Assault to Injury
Assault
Assault to Injury


Aberdeen
11
1
159
72


Airdrie
5
-
59
59


Alloa
-
-
20
11


Arbroath
1
-
14
14


Ayr
-
1
41
45


Banff
1
1
7
4


Campbeltown
2
-
6
1


Cupar
1
-
21
18


Dingwall
2
-
7
2


Dornoch
1
-
1
-


Dumbarton
2
-
70
16


Dumfries
6
5
22
22


Dundee
14
5
69
32


Dunfermline
4
3
47
37


Dunoon
2
-
15
-


Duns
-
-
3
6


Edinburgh
13
8
151
145


Elgin
2
1
30
20


Falkirk
7
-
136
23


Forfar
3
-
26
-


Fort William
1
-
3
2


Glasgow
20
1
484
136


Greenock
-
-
22
8


Haddington
1
2
12
25


Hamilton
1
-
73
103


Inverness
3
-
78
9


Jedburgh
2
2
11
10


Kilmarnock
5
-
75
52


Kirkcaldy
1
1
91
39


Kirkcudbright
2
2
3
4


Kirkwall
2
-
8
-


Lanark
-
1
18
2


Lerwick
-
-
12
-


Livingston
2
1
42
46


Oban
-
-
7
2


Paisley
1
-
61
35


Perth
5
-
47
22


Peterhead
4
-
33
18


Portree
-
-
1
-


Rothesay
-
-
1
-


Selkirk
1
-
9
12


Stirling
-
-
40
25


Stonehaven
-
-
8
2


Stornoway
1
-
16
-


Stranraer
-
1
10
9


Tain
-
-
18
-


Wick
2
-
19
5


Grand Total
131
36
2,106
1,093



  Note: 1. The information in this table has been extracted from the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service’s case management database. The database is a live, operational database used to manage the processing of reports submitted to procurators fiscal by the police and other reporting agencies. If a Procurator Fiscal amends a charge submitted by a reporting agency, the database will record details only of the amended charge.

NHS Hospitals

Dr Richard Simpson (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answers to questions S3W-33583 and S3W-33584 by Nicola Sturgeon on 20 and 24 May 2010 respectively, whether the Scottish Care Information electronic referral system, includes a mandatory field, including an absence of consent option, to record ethnicity of patients.

Nicola Sturgeon: The Scottish Care Information electronic referral system does not include a mandatory field, including an absence of consent option, to record ethnicity of patients.

NHS Staff

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether equality impact assessments have been undertaken by NHS boards in relation to their workforce planning projections and their implications for changes to services.

Nicola Sturgeon: This is a matter for individual NHS boards who have a legal obligation under race, disability and gender equality legislation as set out in Scottish Government circular HDL (2005) 9 to equality impact assess the likely impact of policies, strategies and services including workforce planning.

NHS Staff

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many press, media or communications staff were employed in each territorial and special NHS board in (a) 2005-06, (b) 2006-07, (c) 2007-08, (d) 2008-09 and (e) 2009-10 and at what cost.

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many press, media or communications staff will be employed in each territorial and special NHS board in 2010-11 and at what cost.

Nicola Sturgeon: The information requested is not held centrally.

NHS Staff

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many new posts were created in the NHS between May 2007 and 1 April 2010.

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many people were employed in the NHS as of 1 April 2010.

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what category of posts make up the 10,000 additional jobs in the NHS that the Scottish Government reports that there have been since May 2007.

Nicola Sturgeon: Figures for NHS Scotland are published as part of the Public Sector Employment Statistics available at:

  http://www.scotland.gov.uk?Topics/Statistics/Browse/Labour-Market/TrendPublicSectorEmp.

  Those statistics are not broken down by staff group.

NHS Staff

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many people it projects will be employed in the NHS as of 1 April 2011.

Nicola Sturgeon: There will be more people employed in NHSScotland at the end of this Parliament than there were at the start. Workforce projections for 2010-11 were published on 3 June 2010.

NHS Staff

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive when it will publish the workforce planning projections for 2010-11 for territorial NHS boards that were submitted to it by 30 April 2010.

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive when it will publish the workforce planning projection for 2010-11 for the Scottish Ambulance Service, which was to be submitted to it by 30 April 2010.

Nicola Sturgeon: Workforce projections for 2010-11 were published on 3 June 2010.

NHS Staff

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will publish the letter of 9 April 2010 from its Health Directorate inviting NHS boards to submit workforce planning projections by 30 April 2010.

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive for what reason it advised NHS boards that workforce planning projections would no longer be required before its Health Directorate issued a letter to the boards on 9 April 2010 requesting such projections.

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether and, if so, for what reason the policy on requiring workforce planning projections from NHS boards was changed.

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Wellbeing was consulted on, or otherwise made aware of, any change in policy on requiring workforce planning projections from NHS boards.

Nicola Sturgeon: There has been no changes in policy and boards were not told that projections would no longer be required.

  Boards were advised that the annual projections exercise, which looks at NHS boards future demand for staff for years one, two, three, five and 10 years and helps to inform the annual intake of student nurses and midwives, was under review to see what changes might be made to improve the output of these projections. In addition, while this wider review is being undertaken, boards were asked to provide projections for any expected staff group changes for 2010-11 and to send their draft Workforce Plans to Scottish Government prior to publication. Copies of the Scottish Government’s letter of 9 April 2010 asking for that have been placed in the Scottish Parliament’s Information Centre (Bib. number 50922).

  Scottish ministers have been kept informed of this work.

NHS Staff

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Wellbeing is aware of the content of the workforce planning projections for 2010-11 submitted to the Scottish Government by NHS boards by 30 April 2010.

Nicola Sturgeon: Yes.

NHS Staff

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions have been held with NHS boards regarding funding for voluntary severance.

Nicola Sturgeon: Discussions are regularly held with NHS boards, and in partnership with NHS boards and staff side organisations, on a wide range of staffing matters. This includes staff governance and terms and conditions issues, such as voluntary severance.

  Boards have been advised that, when planning for service redesign or other organisational changes, they should only consider a voluntary severance scheme as a last resort and that these schemes require to be financed from within existing budgets.

NHS Staff

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many jobs will be lost in each NHS board through voluntary severance in (a) 2010-11 and (b) 2011-12 and how this will be funded.

Nicola Sturgeon: We are aware of only two boards who are considering small scale voluntary severance schemes. They are NHS Grampian and NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde.

NHS Staff

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how much funding will be set aside for voluntary severance payments in the NHS in (a) 2010-11 and (b) 2011-12.

Nicola Sturgeon: No specific funding is made available for voluntary severance payments in NHSScotland. NHS boards receive an allocation to meet the healthcare needs of their resident population. It is for boards to decide how best to utilise this funding to meet national and local priorities.

Prescriptions

Jamie Hepburn (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many prescriptions were dispensed by the NHS in each of the last 10 years, expressed as an average per person.

Shona Robison: The information requested is published regularly by the NHS Information Services Division and can be found on their website at www.isdscotland.org/isd/2226.html .

Sexual Health

Nanette Milne (North East Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it plans to refresh Respect and Responsibility: Strategy and Action Plan for Improving Sexual Health , published in 2005 and, if so, what plans it has to consult with stakeholders.

Shona Robison: In response to an independent stock taking review of Respect and Responsibility in 2007, sexual health outcomes and actions for 2008-11 were developed. These covered four themes - knowledge and awareness; leadership, co-ordination and performance management; standards and service provision, and young people.

  We will be working with stakeholders over the coming months to determine the future direction of sexual health strategy beyond March 2011. This process has already begun with a meeting in Edinburgh on 27 May 2010 with stakeholders from a number of disciplines from across Scotland.

Sexual Health

Nanette Milne (North East Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what (a) the timetable is for the roll-out of the National Sexual Health System (NaSH), (b) healthcare settings NaSH will be used in and (c) datasets this system will collect.

Shona Robison: (a) The NaSH system has been live since March 2008 and has been rolled out in NHS boards since then. There are 10 health boards with NaSH, covering 93.76% of the population. Discussions are underway with Highland to agree dates for implementation. Western Isles and Shetland will have limited use of the system in a clinical setting, using it only for a small number of central clinics. Orkney has decided not to implement NaSH as all their services are provided by GPs, who will use a GP system to cover sexual health.

  (b) NaSH has been designed to be used by all specialist sexual health services in Scotland, both GUM and sexual and reproductive health clinics.

  (c) NaSH maintains a patient index accessible only to NaSH users and there is no mandatory national minimum data set allocated, apart from that mandated for the existing Sexually Transmitted Infections Surveillance System (STISS) coding, which remains anonymous. The system allows information to be captured in the following areas – sexual history, blood borne virus risk factors, sexually transmitted infection screening, emergency contraception details, gynaecology, examination, sexual partner notification, men’s health, child protection issues and competency, attendance details and chaperone.

Teachers

Margaret Smith (Edinburgh West) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has had with the Scottish Secondary Teachers’ Association regarding their decision to ballot on industrial action should the "missing elements" of the Curriculum for Excellence not be met by June 2010.

Michael Russell: The Scottish Government regularly engages with key stakeholders, including the Scottish Secondary Teachers Association (SSTA), to discuss a range of issues. We last met with SSTA on 21 May 2010.

Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body

Parliamentary Building

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body for what reason MSPs and their staff are unable to obtain places in the Parliament car park on occasions when several parking places appear to be vacant.

Alex Johnstone: Requests for car park spaces are only declined if all available spaces have been booked. Spaces which appear to be vacant have been pre-booked and should be occupied in due course. The exceptions to this occur when a car park user fails to inform the FM helpdesk that they cannot use a pre-booked space or if they leave during the day and do not intend to return. Every effort is made to identify such spaces and re-allocate them using a waiting list compiled by the FM helpdesk operators. Periodic reminders are issued through the corporate bulletin to urge users to alert the Helpdesk of any cancellations.